Movie Review: Muppets Most Wanted

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts- Three years ago, the Muppets weren’t as big as they once were. Most kids these days didn’t know who Kermit, Fozzie, or any of the other hilarious puppets. Then, Jason Segel and James Bobin decided to give Henson’s creations a chance for redemption. With a heartwarming story and delightful songs, The Muppets was a home run for the group and suddenly the Muppets were back. Now a sequel has made its way to us to see if this comeback can hold.

Fresh off their latest movie, Kermit and company is trying to figure out the next big project to embark on. A mysterious manager named Dominic Badguy approaches them with the idea of a tour across Europe. The Muppets embark on a whacky odyssey across the continent, until Kermit is suddenly kidnapped and swaps places with the most dangerous frog in the world: Constantine. With the other Muppets unaware of his disappearance, Kermit must find a way back to his friends and prevent the crimes Constantine is committing in his place.

Muppets Most Wanted is not the best offering from the Henson Company’s prized possessions, but it still has some of that Muppets charm. The movie harkens back to the old Great Muppet Caper days with a better polish. The jokes can be sort of predictable, but still work. The songs, once again written by that brilliant Bret McKenzie, are not as good as their predecessors, but still fun pieces of music.

The cast is filled with three main human performers that sometimes appear to be having more fun than the audience. Ricky Gervais does well as Dominic, playing the typical dry Gervais character with sprinkled bits of more whacky tidbits. Ty Burrell gets to flex his French accent as Inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon. Tina Fey tries out her Russian as the tough, yet Kermit-obsessed Gulag prison guard Nadya. Of course, there are loads of cameos, but to reveal those would spoil the fun.

The problem with Muppets Most Wanted is that it had to follow such a great movie. The Muppets brought the lovable puppets back into the spotlight with a heartwarming and funny story. The issue with the sequel is that is tries to capture the madcap spirit of the later Muppet work, but lacks a strong heart to keep it afloat. Everything from the actors, the jokes, even the songs, aren’t as strong as the film that came before it, but it still tries its best.

Though not as good as its predecessor, Muppets Most Wanted is still an enjoyable movie for kids and fans alike. It never stops trying to entertain and succeeds most of the time. What it lacks in heart it makes up for in pure fun. The Muppets are still just as sharp as they were before, they just had a slight misstep before getting back to what made them so great to begin with.

Muppets Most Wanted is available for purchase on Blu-Ray DVD or to rent/stream through Amazon, iTunes, and Redbox.

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